December 15, 2016

Kirby Mannon Pepsi/Wyndham Tournament Preview

Pasadena City

3-7

Sequoias

6-5

Final

Pasadena City 3-7

Sequoias 6-5

College of the Sequoias will host the Kirby Mannon Pepsi/Wyndham Tournament this weekend at Porter Field House. COS will play Pasadena City in the first round with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday.

Here is a quick breakdown of each team playing in the tournament:

El Camino: The Warriors are 6-2 this season, and dropped a close 108-106 game to Mira Costa last Friday. El Camino is led by Jamal Heckard. He's averaging 19.8 points per game, which is the most in the South Coast-South Conference.

Ventura: The Pirates have dropped their last two before this tournament. They were riding high with a four-game winning streak before the pair of loses. Cordel Hankerson is averaging a team-high 16 points per game. He is the key in leading the Pirates to victory.

Shasta: The Knights are currently sitting in last place of the Golden Valley Conference with a record of 3-7. Jordan Spaschak, Devan Howe, and Jordan Phills have been a three-headed monster for opposing teams. The trio is averaging over double figure point totals this season.

San Bernardino: After opening the season 8-0, the Wolverines climbed to No. 1 in the State rankings. However San Bernardino has lost two of its last five games and dropped to No. 6. San Bernardino won its first two tournaments of the season. They are led by Brandon Jolley. Jolley is averaging 19.7 points per game.

Cerritos: The Falcons have won eight of their last nine games. Cerritos has also won its last two tournaments they've competed in at Irvine Valley and Mt. San Antonio. The State's 19th ranked team can score points. They blew out Allan Hancock, 103-73, on December 10. Brian Nebo, Cristian Perez, Salvador Carlos, and Dezmon Murphy are all capable of lighting up the scoreboard on any given night.

Oxnard: Jakari McClain is averaging a whopping 20 points per game. Despite the point total, the Condors are 2-7 on the season. They hope this tournament can help turn their season around.

Pasadena: The Lancers are 3-6 this season despite having a pair of South Coast-North Conference leading scorers. Todd Barnes and McKay Anderson are tied for the lead with 18.8 points. Anderson is also close to averaging a double-double with 8.8 rebounds per game.

Sequoias: Head coach Rusty Smith preaches patience this season with this team. The Giants have shown flashes that they can be great, but have struggled in games they should've won. This tournament will provide COS with a chance to make some noise before Central Valley Conference play. Austin Armstead is the leading scorer on the team with 14.4, and Isaiah Johnson isn't far behind with 11.9. Look for big man Kentrey Bynum to rack up points this weekend as well.

First Round Matchups:

El Camino vs. Ventura at 2 p.m.

Shasta vs. San Bernardino at 4 p.m.

Cerritos vs. Oxnard at 6 p.m.

Pasadena vs. COS at 8 p.m.